How is your desk looking? Did you miss some days? You can start again after Day 5.

And if you have been decluttering your desk, you must be feeling really good about your progress. Things don’t have to be perfect to have progress. Don’t let yourself feel badly if things aren’t done “exactly right.”

Today we are going through project files, cubbies and boxes and bulletin boars/whiteboards.

September 24 is National Innergize Day. This is a day to relax, reflect and rejuvenate yourself, focusing on your inner well-being.

One way to innergize is to create and use a space for your relaxation. We’ve been talking about decluttering and one reason to declutter is to make room for nurturing spaces. Too much of our homes hold objects from the past or “what if I need this” futures. We need places for your current self to enjoy and be renewed.

How to Create a Cozy Retreat

Find a Space. What area of your home tends to calm you or you can picture it calming you? It can be a corner, a room, an alcove, part of a guest bedroom, a closet, or even the bathroom.

Declutter the area. Don’t know where to begin? Start at the doorway then keep going left as you declutter. Remove anything that doesn’t say relaxation to you. You want to keep objects that bring you peace. A more minimal room opens up space to create your cozy haven and allows your mind to relax more.

Color. Do you have soothing colors here? Perhaps a peaceful blue, green, grey or lavender? What color for you signals that it is time to let go? You don’t have to re-paint if you don’t want to, but bring in some decorations, furniture or comforts in that color.

Furniture. Creating a peaceful and nourishing environment to relax is important in relieving stress. Incorporate comfortable and supportive furnishings to help you unwind. Have a chair that is easy to read in for your favorite reading position. Perhaps a nice ottoman or foot stool. Do you have room for a couch? You might need storage solutions. Think about what you need to make this space support you.

Natural, relaxing lighting. The blue light of most LED or fluorescent bulbs can agitate your system. So, try a full spectrum light bulb here. Sometimes you can enjoy sitting in candlelight, maybe with warm tea, so have candles nearby. Also, if you will be reading in the evening you can use Red Night Glasses to block out blue light and make it easier to transition to sleep.

Decorations. Do you have any memorabilia, pictures or photos that make you feel good you would like to display? Perhaps a salt lamp has the ambient light you want. Include just a few soothing, happy decorations. You don’t want to re-clutter here.

Music and white noise. Music settles the soul quicker than most things. So make sure you have a way to listen – a CD player, an iPod/iPhone speaker system, a vintage record player. How do you like to listen to music? You can also have soothing sounds from a white noise or nature sound machine/alarm system. I use Homedics White Noise Portable Sound Machine. There are many phone apps that have meditative music or nature sounds so you can take your restful place with you. You can create a relaxation playlist for when you are in your retreat place.

Aromatherapy. Your sense of smell is primal and can have a powerful effect on how you feel about a space. Some of the most relaxing essential oil scents are chamomile, clary sage, lavender, rose and ylang ylang. You can use these scents in a variety of ways. I use a this portable diffuser. You can also use a carrier oil like jojoba oil and a few drops to massage into the skin. Before I got my diffuser I would put some drops of oil on cotton balls nearby. If your relax space is in the bathroom you can put 5 drops or so in your bath. You can use a spritzer to combine water and about 10 drops of oil. Keep a basket of your essential oil supplies in your area.

Touch. We’ve talked about what we see, hear and smell in a relaxing space. How about what you touch? A cozy blanket. Warm slippers. Massage lotion to rub your feet. A Back Buddy or other massage tool. A foot bath. A yoga mat. Bring at least one thing into your space that nurtures your sense of touch.

Nature. I adore walks in nature for reconnecting to the soul so I try to bring the natural world back into any relaxation space. It can be a window with bird feeders outside. Or a shelf of stones and shells. Flowers from the farmer’s market. Green plants. Pinecones from walks. Driftwood from the beach. Where can you add nature?

Books. What are some of your favorite childhood books? Perhaps there are books with relaxation tips you own. Do you have a yoga book or a spiritual book that feels like coming home? Include a shelf of books, hide them in a pretty bag or have a couple stacked somewhere or in between fantastic bookends.

Spiritual. Find space for whatever spiritual practice you have or want to have. Maybe a meditation cushion, prayer journal, mala beads, or a gratitude list.

Creative. Some people like to relax with art. Do you have a table you can set up for coloring, watercolor painting, drawing, scrapbooking, etc.? You can have a box or storage unit with a few supplies. This isn’t necessarily a craft room which can be an overwhelming place. It’s a spot to dabble in your art if that calls to you.

You don’t need to use all these suggestions. You will want to include what nurtures you in your space. It will also depend on how big an area you have. You don’t want an overwhelming, cluttered space.

What one thing can you do today to create a cozy retreat place for you? Then schedule time to enjoy your haven.

I know desks are a big pain to keep clean. Yes, that is a before picture of my desk a couple years ago. But, it still gets that way sometimes.

First, I want to say that you don’t have to have a clean and organized desk. If you work best in mess, than that is fine. Or you can clean up during this challenge, but not push yourself to perfectionism. I will never have a minimalist desk because I find them boring. I like inspirational cork boards, salt lamps and a bunch of different colored pens.

The only reason to declutter and organize your desk, is if it is hindering your work. If you can’t find things, the space is making you feel heavy and claustrophobic, or papers are getting lost it may be time to take care of it.

One way to simplify your life, is to not assume life needs to cater to your preferences.

We don’t like to think we do this, but how many times have you complained that the food isn’t to your liking, the temperature is too hot or too cold, you don’t like the music, that video is stupid, a TV show is awful, the app doesn’t work how you want it to, the phone isn’t completely intuitive to your needs, or the weather is terrible.

The thing is, your preferences are not everyone’s preferences. Some people like that food, temperature, music, video, TV show, app, phone or the weather. Not everything is made for everybody.

So instead of complaining, writing a bad review or sending on a really stupid video so everyone else can see how stupid it is, acknowledge that this isn’t for you. Delete the comment, find a different video or restaurant, put on headphones to listen to music you like or open your mind about what you might be able to like about that music.

Don’t waste your time being negative about stuff that isn’t your preference. The world doesn’t need more negativity right now and it leeches your energy and the energy of those around you.

Instead of another gripefest, share stuff you love, compliment, look for reasons to like something rather than dislike something. Ask, “How is this great?” See potential.

I see this a lot with clients. They are doing new habits, working on projects or doing the organizing. Then one day, boom, they are too tired to do anything. They complain about some sort of drama in their life or problem that is bringing them down. All their energy has been torpedoed into that difficulty. They are thinking about it non-stop.

But, it’s usually not the problem that is destroying the energy. It’s the ruminating about the issue but not sitting down to feel it. All that angst in the mind protects them from actually feeling the feelings.

The emotions are just under the surface draining away energy. Tightness stops the flow of breath. Whole days can be wasted in this “almost feeling” state.

If you allow yourself to feel those feelings though, you’ll find it doesn’t take that long to process. You can meditate on the feelings, draw, dance, journal, or talk with someone you allow them to move through the body. This frees up your energy again. (Read this post on stopping an emotional spiral.)

The feelings themselves flow pretty quickly, but it’s the story about what happened that keeps you stuck. Stay in the body and heart and out of the head when you are feeling the feelings. Your mind will keep you in, “Woe is me.”

Once you feel the feelings you will be better able to manage the problem. Then you will have more energy to make the changes you want to make.

I am a voracious reader and have been reading magazines since I was a child with my Nat Geo for kids.

So when I found out I could get free magazines on my Kindle because I am an Amazon Prime member, I was giddy. No paper! No clutter! Tons of information (see my Information Reduction Plan).

I started reading magazines on cooking, health, women’s interest, fashion crafts and anything else that was out. I had canceled most of my paper magazines as I didn’t want the clutter. Currently I just have Reader’s Digest that my Grandma gets me and my husband & I enjoy.

I would read magazines at night before bed or in downtime. Then I started noticing how they were making me feel. I was feeling not good enough about my weight, my home, my cooking.

Each magazine included tons of projects that I didn’t have time to complete and that made me feel badly as well. I wasn’t going to make that recipe, do that 30-day fitness challenge or make that paper craft. But, I felt I should. It’s interesting. I may even want to do it. But, I have lots of other things I want to do that weren’t dictated to me by a magazine.

There was the time I was using the pick out a magazine to read and all the reading time for things I don’t intend to do.

Plus, with all the advertisements I was enticed to buy things I didn’t need like expensive face cream or the latest home gadget.

I decided no more magazines besides Reader’s Digest.

I want to read things that are helpful and deep. I don’t need someone living on one of the coasts telling me what should be important to me.

We spend most of our time in the mundane, taking care of home, work, self and relationships. It can be easy to fall into thinking your life is boring or unfulfilling if you only see the dailyness. “Ugh, another morning – can’t I just sleep in?” “Do I have to cook another meal?” “I want to hit my head against my desk instead of doing another report.”

But, we are in charge of putting meaning and fulfillment into our lives and our daily tasks. When we do that our lives feel fresher, we see things from other perspectives, and we are more full of joy and love. Here are some ways to add meaning to the mundane:

In the morning you can take spiritual time to connect with what is important and intend how you want to feel, give, thank and do. No time? Do it in the shower or while brushing your teeth. Be deliberate with what you put into your day. Remember it’s your day. Say no more often to obligations and shoulds that create resentment. Curate the media you allow in. You are the gatekeeper. You may have current things you already said yes to so see how you can do those with acceptance.

Pray or send love before answering the phone, entering a meeting or talking to someone.

Create a beautiful space to do mundane tasks. Put birdfeeders outside your window where you wash dishes. Light a candle and play music as you do bills. Use colored pens. Clear your desk every evening. Have flowers. Use lovely notebooks. Find tissue boxes that make you feel good. Have fun file folders.

Actually enjoy nature – the feel of the dirt and the vibrancy of the plants as you garden. Feel thankful for the beauty and abundance.

Put down the electronics and focus on someone deeply as you talk to one another. Ask deeper questions. Connect more with the people in your life.

Add love energy to your food as you are cooking. Thank the workers that made that food possible. Give gratitude for the food you have.

Write words like love, peace or patience on your water glass for the day in wipe off marker. Then notice that intention every time you drink.

Pause 1-5 breaths between tasks. Before moving onto the next one connect with why you are doing the action, set the intention for the feeling you want to have as you do it and/or the character trait you want to embody. (See Your To Be List.)

Change your thoughts about your tasks to ones that give you more energy and meaning.

Create a downtime ritual for every day. Maybe tea time with a gorgeous tea set. Yoga before bed after clearing the space with sage. A prayer walk after dinner. A deep breathing session which includes aromatherapy after work. Meditating in the same corner each evening.

It doesn’t take much time to create more fulfillment and meaning in our daily lives, but it requires presence, intention and imagination.